Let me start out by saying everyone is sinful! There is only
one person who is sinless and His name is Jesus Christ. He was born of a
virgin, lived a perfect life, and then took on our sins, and died on the cross
for you and me. No one is perfect except Jesus Christ! With that
said, lets dive into this devotion:
Have you ever been in a place that you just needed advice? I
have, and I have gone to certain people who have given me some great advice, and
some who have given me really bad advice. Once I became Christian, I started praying
and looking for the right godly woman who could encourage me in my process with
the Lord, and give me godly advice when needed. Although God puts godly people
in our path to help us grow, but the only person who we should listen to for
wisdom and advice is God and God alone! God is the creator and giver of wisdom!
And He is very clear in that “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God,
who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to
you.” James 1:5
Let’s take a look at the book of Job. He was a man that went
through great suffering; he lost his family, his income, and was losing his health.
As good godly men, Job’s friends came from a far to offer comfort,
advice, and to sit with him for a while. The advice that they gave Job was very
biblical, but and yes there is a but, they did not see what God was
doing behind the scenes. They did not take the time to pray for wisdom from God;
instead they gave advice that causes great confusion. They zone in on the
suffering that had to be brought upon Job from God with unconfessed sin. Job 5:17
states “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline
of the Almighty” Job’s friends told him repeatedly that he must have committed
a sin to cause such great suffering, for God punishes the wicked, not the
righteous. At first Job was very clear that he had not committed a sin,
but at the end of the conversation, Job started to doubt himself, and become
confused by their advice. Job starts asking God to reveal the sin that he had
committed. Three godly friends were giving Job godly advice from their stand point, but to Job this
advice was ungodly and cause great confusion on his part. Job’s friends could
not see suffering as a way for God to grow Job into a better godly man, but as
a way to punish him for wrong doing.
Through my year of suffering that was brought on by several
storms, I begin to understand, and with God helping hand, this concept of godly
advice. First, I like to say I
ran to the throne room, and beg for wisdom, and waiting for the answer
patiently. Right! Instead, I turned to godly people for the advice that I so
thought I needed now. The bible encourages us to seek godly advice when needed,
but there is a flaw in this plan. This is due to sin that was entered into the
world, because sin was introduced, it can corrupt people’s advice. We should be
wise to ask for God’s insight into what He is doing in someone's life before
giving advice. We simple can't
depend on what we see, but we cane depended on God!
I have come to realize that godly people think with a human
brain! Yes, godly people think with a human brain, and this could affect
how advice is given. With Job’s friends they could not understand God bringing
suffer to someone who had not sin because they were thinking with the human
side of their brain. this resulted into great confusion. I have had godly
people give me godly advice, but like Job, it cause great confusion, and cause
me to make the situation even worst. But let’s pause here for a second on this…it
might have made the situation worst, but we serve a great God who can turn the impossible into the possible! And
nothing, NOTHING can stop God’s will, we might mess it up, but HE
can fix it!
To minimize great confusion in the future, before godly
advice can be accepted, it needs to go through a filter that can determent if
it is right for your situation. When godly advice is given to you ask yourself
these questions:
1. Who is the advice
coming from?
2. Where in the bible is
this advice from?
3. Can it be reference
in correct content?
4. What has God been
telling you?
If you answer no to any of the question, it might be advice
that could be taken at face value, but not conceder as godly advice. NO
ONE can tell you what you are hearing from God! That is something that
is between you and God! And no one has a right to tell you that. God speak
through His word and through different ways! I hear from God all the time,
through prayer, reading devotions, and just being still. A wise woman
told me that it doesn’t have to make sense to the world, or your friends, or
your family, it just has to make sense between you and God! That is it! So the
next time you need godly advice, bend your knees, and ask God for the wisdom.
And the next time a friend comes to you for godly advice, pray for wisdom from
God before give them it. Remember nothing can stop God’s plan, we can derail it,
or cause undo harm, but God can do the possible.
Written By Nikki McGann
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